‘I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!’ 😤 – Stephen A. on Bronny James nepotism criticism | NBA on ESPN

‘I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!’ 😤 – Stephen A. on Bronny James nepotism criticism | NBA on ESPN

also it’s it’s a Monumental evening it’s the first time we’ve had a two-day draft it’s the first time we are now seeing a father-son Duo playing in the NBA W you can best contextualize this we’ve never seen something like this bronnie and LeBron James teammates in Los Angeles listen and you know Bob talked about this you know Brony James the way he has worked the way he has prepared himself there’s never been any sense of entitlement with him he has never carried himself that way every team he’s been on whether it was in high school travel basketball with um the US team last year in the Nike Summit only a great teammate guys love playing with him and it says so much about how he was raised how he how he sees the game what he learned from not just his father being around the NB NBA game there are lots of Sons and Daughters of NBA players who’ve learned those traits he’s another one but again to to not just be able to play with LeBron James in the NBA but to do it while his father is still an all NBA player there’s nobody left from LeBron james’ draft class they’re all gone and he’s still an all NBA player I think one of the important things to bring up is what excuse me what you brought up in in regards to the nepotism because I don’t want to hear it either and I really appreciate and applaud you for bringing it up because you hear people mumbling about that in the way the weeks and the days leading up to the draft it is something that is permeated throughout the NBA for quite some time okay and on all levels and no one has said anything it’s never been an issue that I can remember I’ve been covering the NBA for a quarter a century this man has been around just as long if not longer don’t talk to me about nepotism being something new it’s been here nobody said anything before shut the hell up now pretty incredible I want to zero back in though on bronie James because this is Monumental it’s historic and we are going to get to see bronny James on the floor for the first time in summer league but what are your realistic expectations as you look toward uh a rookie year that’s going to be under a microscope like no other certainly don’t expect him to play um I expect him to be um in their developmental program whatever that entails that’s where he belongs and I’ll tell you why he belongs there because even though we’ve already chronicled the reasons as to why that may have been the case where only average less than five points a game the cardiac arest last summer not playing in college until January W brought up a very very important point in terms of psychologically the kind of effect that could have on you you take a deep breath of crying out loud you might be scared I mean you that’s an adjustment to make and we understand that but now that you’re in the NBA and you’re on this level you shouldn’t want to be out there until you’re ready and so it’s one of those situations where you take them under your wing and you expose them to whatever developmental program pinka and JJ reck and all of those guys are going to have in store and you do it that way plus like you said the facilities are pretty much the same and he’ll be right near his dad and obviously his dad is an incredible teacher to learn from well if you’re managing this though Bob you have a if you’re the Los Angeles Lakers you have a firste head coach you are saying that you want Anthony Davis to feel embolden on this team but any team that LeBron James is a part of we know what the uh voices in the locker room the pecking order is there you just drafted that said player son into the NBA how do you manage all of that well I managed some tough stuff but this that’s a different one look I always did Malika I would if I saw a potential issue I would go right at it so I might sit LeBron James down and say listen our plan is to coach him and treat him like we would any rookie I assume that’s good if you have something to say about that let’s talk about it now I assume he would say yes yes treat him like you do anybody else on this team don’t treat him differently I’d almost go out of my way to say that because I assume that’s what bronnie wants he doesn’t want to walk in a locker room and feel like he’s getting preferential treatment as a rookie even him if you’re JJ you sit out and say listen I might even be harder on you just understand that it might not be fair but I’m not going to have anyone saying that I’m taking it easy on you you turn it over in practice I’m going to say something to you you do something on film I’m going to say something to you that’s the only way it works because as we all know and you’ve been around teams the second the rules are different for him you might lose the other players on the team so you have to go into this with a plan but the plan is simple Malika do the right thing the right thing is coach him Coach him to win when he does something wrong correct him when he’s out of line which I don’t expect him to be tell him and that’s all you can really do Bob how much of this is a shared shared process between the front office and a new head coach this is Rob palenka and JJ Ruck and his coaching staff managing this whole situation well I started out when I took the job with the Warriors there was two beat writers you’re your your sister wasn’t there I think it was Marcus Thompson or rusty said there’s nobody my wife said um is there going to be media I said no nobody cares it’s the Warriors and nobody did care when I left we had people embedded in the organization we were covered daily and and what I found out was I had to spend so much time as would any body that works for Los Angeles Lakers every single day and the example I used was you walk into a bonsai tree every day and you snip it every single day it needs attention it’s not a cactus so the way I did it when you ask me was what needs to be addressed today is that your body language what you’re upset why are you upset what’s going on with you you think you deserve more Malik I noticed in practice you every single day that’s how I did it but everybody does it differently it’s just managing human beings and it’s a lot you’re managing a rockar band in Los Angeles Lakers but everybody does it differently we’ve got all the the the the lables out of out of the way for bronnie James right we know good kid you know he works hard we wish him nothing but the best fine we got that out the way right there’s something that we haven’t brought up enough what’s next season G to be like for LeBron James hear me out your son is now a member of the team regardless of how wrong we know people are going going to be they’re going to be throwing nepotism in LeBron’s face they’re going to be throwing all some of the teammates remember yonis Hassam said weeks ago you’re going to have people in the lake a locker room once JJ reck arrived because it’s not just LeBron not just Le bronnie James that’s arrived it’s JJ reic who you were doing the podcast with during the season that arrived regardless of the fact that LeBron James had nothing to do with that or what have you the bottom line is a lot of people are not going to believe that you’re going to get bombarded with questions about that then you’re going to have people with a cynical eye in the locker room because everybody ain’t happy for you let me tell you something when you’re that great when you’re that accomplished jealousy and envy follow it is the bottom line all of those things how is LeBron this might be one of the one of the more challenging Seasons LeBron has had psychologically because he might cut some people out too well and we also have to wonder okay playing with his son is a goal that he stated he wanted to achieve before it was the end of his career and so what does that look like now I do want to go to Los Angeles now and bring in our reporter covering the Lakers Dave mcminniman Dave what can you tell us about how the James family found out about this and what their reaction is now that LeBron and bronny are teammates yeah Malik I’m told that the James family and some of their closest friends and confidants including Rich Paul of course Gloria James LeBron’s mother and Savannah’s parents as well gathered for an intimate dinner in New York City today uh to await what was going to happen with the second round and when they got the call from the Lakers LeBron James had a champagne toast to everyone there I’m told it was less than 20 people and sources tell me he got very emotional in considering the weight of the moment not just the history for the NBA the first time you have a fatherson Duo playing together and not just the history for the James family being that Father and Son Duo but really the journey for bronny James you think back it’s less than a year ago last July where he suffered that cardiac incident and that was a very serious time very touch and go for the James family and here they are together uh having one of the most joyous days they’ve ever experienced with bronnie being able to complete his goal of playing in the NBA Dave thank you so very much a 4:30 dinner you know some some people are into that Dave we appreciate we appreciate that but yeah getting back to kind of what Stephen A was was saying I I think that given what Dave said Gathering celebrating I can only imagine how emotional that was you do have to take into account what this looks like now for LeBron and he has a lot to contemplate what as a parent what is any stronger um what pulls at you more than your children I don’t think anything I don’t think anything in the world um matters to a parent more than their child and so to um go through a season with your son I’m imagining no one’s ever really there’s no blint for that I don’t know that anybody’s ever done that so there will be some amazing highs and there will be some lows um and I guess I mean I’ve never seen somebody navigate stardom maybe as well as LeBron James did or has from 18 years old with the expectations that he has wielded and borne um and stood up to being an ambassador for the NBA as well as he has if anybody can do it it’s him but even the most uh peaceful people even the most measured people when you talk about their family that’s hard um and and it’s emotional but that’s okay that’s life I would hope that the people like you Stephen A who are unbelievably powerful in the media you you are doing the right I think you are saying the right things but there are going to be people that take an approach that is not measured right and attack this to try to get attention CU LeBron’s been dealing with that his whole life though I mean people come at him to elevate SES and he’s managed it as well as anybody ever could well look go ahead W I need a okay I got I got I got I got you C [Laughter] emem let me say this let me let me say this you the one time I did I swear I did it Ro the one time he deferred you weren’t ready but one time know I didn’t know when you play with Stephen you’re not expecting the ball right the ball he doesn’t pass he jums one time I’m just trying to go to the offensive boards here trying to box out I got my bad my bad listen here’s the deal when you look at LeBron it’s going to be an incredible challenge because there are so many times over the years he’s been so Adroid so exceptionally so at biting his tongue and W and you know Bob you bring up a very very other point it’s one thing to do that for yourself how you going to do that if somebody’s coming after your son and that’s where the Lakers are going to have to step in and be very very Mindful and cognizant of it and responsible for it now we can say what we want about Lakers organization and debate stuff back and forth in terms of some decisions that may have been made and not made over the you know last decade or so or what have you but the one thing we can consistently give them credit for is they go out of their way as an organization to protect their own they do do that and so this is going to be a very unique challenge for the organization as you facilitate the growth the tutelage the development of a bronny James uh but if anybody as an organization is equipped to handle it because they Pride themselves on being family likee it’s the Los Angeles Lakers franchise in my opinion and JJ reck who has as a coach already sort of taken the position that he believes that part of his job is to protect and that is going to be on display in this situation hey uh Magic Johnson he tweeted about bronnie James headed to the Los Angeles Lakers but now that the 2024 draft is completed as you can see here he says congratulations to bronnie James on being drafted by the Lakers a historic moment of course because it’s the first father son Duo watching bronnie suit up for the Lakers during summer league in who knows it’s magical what he said the last couple of he’s looking forward to seeing that [Music] he

Adrian Wojnarowski, Stephen A. Smith, Bob Myers and Dave McMenamin join Malika Andrews for the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft to react to Bronny James, LeBron James’ eldest son, being drafted No. 55 overall to the Los Angeles Lakers.

0:00 Nepotism criticism
3:07 How to manage the Lakers
6:05 What will LeBron’s season be like?
7:28 McMenamin on the James’ family’s reaction
9:04 What is LeBron thinking?
12:35 Magic Johnson tweeted about Bronny

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